UT Assistant Professor Premieres Film on Addiction in NY

Published: September 27, 2010

UT Assistant Professor Tom Garrett helped celebrate National Recovery
Month at the New York Recovery Rally on Sept. 25 by premiering an
extended trailer of his documentary,
The Secret World of Recovery
.

“It’s
been eye-opening,” said Garrett of the insidiousness of substance
abuse. “There are a lot of people whose lives have been touched for the
good and the bad, and they want to give back by telling their stories.”

Garrett
is finding that almost everyone he talks to has some story on how
substance abuse has touched their family. Since starting work in March
with author Leslie Glass, Garrett said the project has snowballed into
the creation of a feature film and educational website,
www.Ilovequitters.com
.

Garrett
received a grant from the Sunscreen Film Festival that helped him
employ UT students to travel around the nation filming on location and
to help edit film. Samantha Francisco ’11, Alan Mehanna ’09 and
Jean-Pierre Busche ’11 all contributed to the process. Adjunct
Instructor Curtis Graham worked as director of photography for portions
of the film.

The Secret World of Recovery
, which will be released in 2011, is produced by
Garrett
and directed by Glass. Garrett said the film is a personal story and
tells what happens to people and their families when they decide to
change, why treatment is so often delayed and how relapse is not an
indication of failure but, for many people, a necessary part of the
process.

“We had no agenda to do something like this when we
started, but so many people were like, ‘no one has done something like
this before,’” Garrett said. “It starts the dialog. We’re not just
making a movie. We’ve got a message, and it can change people’s lives.
It can give you hope.”

Garrett was intrigued by the documentary
as he has an affinity for redemption themes. He was struck by the
popularity of shows like “Intervention” and “Celebrity Rehab,” which he
said portray a highly negative image.

“Programs like that always
show the train wreck,” Garrett said. “Rarely do we hear the success
stories, and there really are some out there.”